Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions

Background. The stocks of cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758, have been declining within recent decades and the Baltic Sea is one of the most affected areas. The latter body of water with its low salinity, pollution, and vast areas of demersal hypoxia is particularly vulnerable. Areas of natural spawn...

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Main Authors: M. Biernaczyk, Z. Neja, A. Opanowski, K. Stepanowska, K. Formicki, W. Wawrzyniak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2016-09-01
Series:Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
Subjects:
Online Access:https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26640/download/pdf/
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author M. Biernaczyk
Z. Neja
A. Opanowski
K. Stepanowska
K. Formicki
W. Wawrzyniak
author_facet M. Biernaczyk
Z. Neja
A. Opanowski
K. Stepanowska
K. Formicki
W. Wawrzyniak
author_sort M. Biernaczyk
collection DOAJ
description Background. The stocks of cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758, have been declining within recent decades and the Baltic Sea is one of the most affected areas. The latter body of water with its low salinity, pollution, and vast areas of demersal hypoxia is particularly vulnerable. Areas of natural spawning are scarce and the reproductive output of cod has been irregular and more and more limited. One of the proposed solutions for this problem might be an artificial reproduction.  One of such areas has been the Gdańsk Deep, but the number of potential brood fish is relatively low, which makes the eggs and sperm poorly accessible. The aim of the presently reported study was to conduct spawning and egg incubation under controlled conditions to obtain viable hatchlings and to monitor the embryonic development of cod originating from the area of the Gdańsk Deep. Materials and methods. The parental fish specimens were obtained during commercial trawl catches. The eggs were fertilized artificially at the field laboratory using filtered brackish sea water with salinity of 15‰, and then were incubated at a constant temperature of 8 ± 0.5°C. Eggs and larvae development, and larvae beginning exogenous feeding were observed under a stereo microscope, and photographed regularly to determine the sizes of the eggs and larvae and to document the results of the experiment. Results. The mean percentage of fertilization of eggs was 70%. Hatching began 236 h after fertilization, and the newly hatched larvae comprised 30% of the initial stocking density. The mean length of the larvae was 3.95 mm. The cod larvae began exogenous feeding before the yolk sac was fully absorbed. Conclusion. Artificial reproduction with gametes obtained from cod spawning in the Gdańsk Deep is possible, and the fertilization rates obtained were similar to those achieved with cod from the Bornholm and Gotland basins. Therefore, our results also show that cod spawning in the Gdańsk Deep can be suggested as a model species for further research.
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spelling doaj.art-c602bb4d1e754386ac69607320dbee802022-12-22T02:31:15ZengPensoft PublishersActa Ichthyologica et Piscatoria1734-15152016-09-0146323924610.3750/AIP2016.46.3.0726640Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditionsM. BiernaczykZ. NejaA. OpanowskiK. StepanowskaK. FormickiW. WawrzyniakBackground. The stocks of cod, Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758, have been declining within recent decades and the Baltic Sea is one of the most affected areas. The latter body of water with its low salinity, pollution, and vast areas of demersal hypoxia is particularly vulnerable. Areas of natural spawning are scarce and the reproductive output of cod has been irregular and more and more limited. One of the proposed solutions for this problem might be an artificial reproduction.  One of such areas has been the Gdańsk Deep, but the number of potential brood fish is relatively low, which makes the eggs and sperm poorly accessible. The aim of the presently reported study was to conduct spawning and egg incubation under controlled conditions to obtain viable hatchlings and to monitor the embryonic development of cod originating from the area of the Gdańsk Deep. Materials and methods. The parental fish specimens were obtained during commercial trawl catches. The eggs were fertilized artificially at the field laboratory using filtered brackish sea water with salinity of 15‰, and then were incubated at a constant temperature of 8 ± 0.5°C. Eggs and larvae development, and larvae beginning exogenous feeding were observed under a stereo microscope, and photographed regularly to determine the sizes of the eggs and larvae and to document the results of the experiment. Results. The mean percentage of fertilization of eggs was 70%. Hatching began 236 h after fertilization, and the newly hatched larvae comprised 30% of the initial stocking density. The mean length of the larvae was 3.95 mm. The cod larvae began exogenous feeding before the yolk sac was fully absorbed. Conclusion. Artificial reproduction with gametes obtained from cod spawning in the Gdańsk Deep is possible, and the fertilization rates obtained were similar to those achieved with cod from the Bornholm and Gotland basins. Therefore, our results also show that cod spawning in the Gdańsk Deep can be suggested as a model species for further research.https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26640/download/pdf/Baltic Seaembryogenesiseastern Baltic codart
spellingShingle M. Biernaczyk
Z. Neja
A. Opanowski
K. Stepanowska
K. Formicki
W. Wawrzyniak
Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
Baltic Sea
embryogenesis
eastern Baltic cod
art
title Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
title_full Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
title_fullStr Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
title_full_unstemmed Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
title_short Reproduction of cod, Gadus morhua (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Gadidae), from the Gdańsk Deep (Baltic Sea) under controlled conditions
title_sort reproduction of cod gadus morhua actinopterygii gadiformes gadidae from the gdal sk deep baltic sea under controlled conditions
topic Baltic Sea
embryogenesis
eastern Baltic cod
art
url https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26640/download/pdf/
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